jrafter

hello,my ride is 42 miles 3 days a week and it takes about 2hrs 45 mins....i drink 2 bottles of gartorade on each ride and i dont eat anything during my ride....after my ride i eat a salad and 14oz of chicken.what else can i eat or do to get rid of the wasted feeling i have that lasts for hrs........thanks

Grendel

What are you eating before the ride, and how soon before you ride do you eat? Doing 42 miles in 2.75 hours on a MTB (assuming that from your sig) is working pretty hard; you need to give your body a break and fuel up before you go and preferably during the ride also. Try loading up on some Fig Newtons, Pop-Tarts or maybe an energy bar before the ride, and take along something to eat at around the 20 mile mark. I'll defer to the folks on this list that are more knowledgeable about nutrition, but I can tell you that covering a distance like that without eating is not a good idea.

roadbuzz

Grendel's advice is right on. For post-ride, you might try Endurox R4. It's kind of pricey, but is frequently on sale at Performance. If you work out the cost per serving, it's probably somewhere between $.75 and $1.00. About like a can of soda from a vending machine. They also have a $2.00 rebate coupon on the web page (every bit helps). Drink it within 15 minutes of completing a ride. It make a major difference in my post-ride energy level and recovery time.

I don't sell the stuff or work for the company, just a satisfied customer.

P.S. Steer clear of lemon-lime flavor. I like fruit punch and tangy orange is okay, too.

jrafter

I try to eat oatmeal or some type of carb and hr before my ride.i didnt really think i needed to eat during my ride,i cant eat energy bars they tast like wood to me but the fig newtons sound good........yes im still riding a mountain bike but i have hutchinson 1.0 top slicks on it that are really nice for the paths around DC. should i use the endurox4 during my ride to im getting kinda sick of gatorade?

Grendel

Which energy bars have you tried? Believe me, some are better than others! Clif bars are generally regarded as being pretty good in the taste and texture categories... give those a try if you haven't already. As for the drink during the ride, there's nothing wrong with plain water as long as you get enough of it; pace yourself during the ride and drink at regular intervals -- keep up the fluid intake and don't wait until you're thirsty.

RWTD

As others mention you sound like your carb depleted post ride and not topping up carb stores again soon enough .Like others mention go with some simple carbs immediately post ride and then add some complex carbs with the meal later.Also you want to insure your carb stores are fully topped up pre-ride and the oatmeal is a good source .Immediately pre-ride or during ride I agree light snacks or gatorade works for high intensity training and as mentioned don't overlook plain water for hydration.

jrafter

I have been trying to stick to a low carb high protein diet and its worked for me so far but i guess its time to make some changes to it.

RWTD

Thats what I guessed from your comments but for that intensity level and given the symptoms you need more carbs.As long as they are being used to replace muscle (glycogen)fuel stores they will not add to fat stores as only when muscle stores are fully saturated will carbs be stored as fat.If you are looking to burn fat during training and want to maintain a low carb approach you should either lower the intensity or duration or both perhaps doing more of an interval routine varying the intensity.

Davet

Low carb, high protein diets don't work terribly well with athletic endeavours. My wife tried Atkins, during her active cycling season and the diet hurt her pretty bad. IMO low carb diets are good primarily for sedinentary people, not active ones. Your body NEEDS carbs during high activity such as cycling. If you cycle as much as you do, the calories you burn will take care of any weight problems that you might have.

roadbuzz

They say you can mix it half strength and use it as a ride beverage. I think it's kind of hard to digest to use during the ride, it probably depends on your level of exertion. If you try it, I recommend just putting it in one bottle. If your stomach starts to feel like there's a lump of lead in it, drink the Gatorade instead and save the Endurox 'til after the ride. I use Cytomax during the ride, but I can't say that I can tell a difference between it and Gatorade, Powerade, etc. I don't care for Accelerade. Just doesn't work that well for me. Your mileage may vary.

Different question... how long have you been riding at this distance & frequency? If you're "pushing the envelope" pretty hard, you can expect to be pretty wiped out. Still, getting some carbs that your body can metabolize quickly right after the ride will help get you over the post exertion slump more quickly.

jrafter

I have been doing this ride for a couple of months now,i have been on the low carb diet for about 6months and have lost 25 pounds so after reading some posts i beleave its time to modify my diet but i have gained a lot of muscle with this diet.im going to performance and check out some different drinks see which one works for me.

RWTD

Low carb diets can help reduce fat rapidly particularly for endomorphic bodytypes who don't tolerate carbs well however as another poster mentioned are not sustainable at high activity levels over the long run.You can up the carbs moderately in line with activity levels and still lose fat at a more moderate but sustainable rate as long as there is at least a slight calorie deficit (consumed vs. expended).Also muscle gain is actually much easier with adequate carbs as you want at least a slight calorie surplus to put on muscle.

Pat

Well as a rule of thumb a mile cycling burns between 30-55 calories depending on rider weight, speed etc etc. That means you are burning 1300 - 2300 calories. If you are riding hard, you will burn only carbohydrates. If you ride slower, you will burn progressively more fat (the body does not want to burn fat by the way - it wants to save it for the famine that is coming). Generally a post ride meal should be high in complex carbs. A chicken breast is protein and the salad is zip (except for the dressing which is generally all fat). You need to eat some carbos.

Now, I don't bother with those supplements and stuff. I have had advanced training in biology, biochem etc and I have taught the same at college level. I never found the rationale for them persuasive. You can what you need from ordinary foods that are cheaper and tastier. You can eat just about any complex carbohydrate that you want - bread, mashed potatos, pasta, cereal whatever. But I think if you try that, you will feel much better.

One of the best recovery foods I know is watermelon (wrong time of year now). It is high in electrolytes, has sugars, some complex carbs, vitamins, fiber and those seeds you can spit everywhere.

john999

Do you want to lose weight or gain it ?

That wasted feeling is how you feel when your blood sugar is low (I think it's similar to the way that type I diabetics feel before a fit). When you're on a serious diet you feel like that a lot of the time (ugh...).
It doesn't appear to be a serious health risk to normal people, although of course it makes it difficult to get home.

1.2 L for 42 miles (~60 km) seems a little bit low, although maybe you live in a colder area than me (Australia).

Phatman

i start to get that wasted feeling after about 9 shots...